Mystery Object

We need some help with this. What is it? It seems to be some sort of tool for scrapping. Perhaps ashes or charcoal from a fire. If anyone knows leave a message.

Two rooms, all mod cons, yours for 250k

It is typical of archaeology that you think you know what is going on with a site and then it throws up something else. Here, just behind and following the line of the tape, is a new wall dividing the structure in half, with a small 'door' just to the left of the bucket. I spent the weekend worrying about this area, as the stratigraphy just did not look right, and this is why. A few scrapes of the trusty trowel and it came clean. Cyn had an idea that the north wall was open to the Drift Lane (Old Sydling Road), as with most workshops, and that is why the bricks here are not mortared; perhaps added much later. A good idea. The hedge looks quite new, with very little variation in species.

 Meanwhile the sheep are getting used to us and come at us mob-handed! It is a task to keep them from walking over our nice clean areas.

DDCAG at a National Trust Dig

Today some of us went to the National Trust dig at Burton Bradstock to see what they have found.

Martin Papworth of the NT explains the site

This is a building that, just like our site, has been lost to memory by the time WWII began. It was then that a gun emplacement was cut through it.

A large calibre shell casing

  This looks like something that Dino would eat in the Flintstones! But is probably an ox bone.

This is a fireplace hanging over the edge of the eroded beach. Much of the structure has been lost to the sea.

As with most of our outings we scampered to the cafe for coffee and cake.

Archaeology & Education

This is Charlie, who helped us out last week to break the back of the rubble layer. As with most community groups not many of us will see 50 again, so it was great to have some young muscle on site, including young Chris (does that make me old Chris?). Charlie is doing a land management course at a college near Dorchester with part of it relating to archaeology, and I am sure we all wish him the best of luck with that and his future career.

This week - we can record and take off the next layer(s) and hope to hit the floor, as well as looking at the door structure.

We dig dig dig...

The Doors of Perception

The remains of the door with some stone in situ behind

Great find today. We seem to have the remains of a wooden door between the brick columns and confirms that this is the entrance set in the south east corner of the structure. The metal ring seen here is in situ. Hopefully we can look forward to hitting the floor surface once we have taken off more dirt layers in the interior. It would put the icing on the cake to find a hearth structure too, but lets not get carried away.

Lets get ready to RUBBLE!

A flat site!

As we had two young and fit lads with us this week they naturally were given the task to hit what we call (0002), or 'the rubble'. As a result we have vanquished the core of it and are looking to have a flat site for the first time.

Thanks to Chris & Charlie!

It is becoming clear that there are more layers under this one and the floor may be quite some depth yet. But the walls are beginning to look good and the evidence suggest, so far, that we have a possible workshop, with plenty of slag and a glass substance adhering to some bricks. Hopefully we may find a hearth to substantiate this theory soon. 

Look out for a video of the site on the next post. Dorset Diggers in action!